3D Printing News and Innovation

Designer Spotlight: Scott Camazine

This week, we introduce Scott Camazine. Scott hails from Pennsylvania and is a jack of many trades. An ER doctor, photographer, and 3D modeler, and biology enthusiast, Scott’s shop exhibits his expertise in all of the above. With fascinating scans of animal skulls, what started as a personal interest hobby has sprouted into an full blown museum of incredible 3D printed skulls. We also have a special bonus feature on how Shapeways tools helped his shop offer even more!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? Where are you located?

I am essentially a jack-of-all-trades, master of none! My passion is the biological world. I have been collecting bugs and small creatures since I was a child. I have a medical degree and worked as an emergency room doctor for years. I have traveled to several third-world countries and have done volunteer surgery. I was a professor of honey bee biology and diseases. I am a stock photographer specializing in medical and nature subjects. I live in central Pennsylvania.

What’s the story behind your designs? What inspires you?

I have been interested in natural history since I was a child. I have observed, collected, photographed, drawn insects, bones, flowers, and animals for decades. Now, with 3D printing, I am creating skeletal sculptures using CT scans of animal skulls.

What brought you to 3D printing with Shapeways?

I was speaking to a sculptor about doing lost wax casting of natural objects such as skulls and insects, and he asked whether I knew about 3D printing. He recommended I look at the Shapeways website.

How did you learn how to design in 3D?

As a stock photographer and medical doctor, I have been using radiology and 3D modeling software for many years to create medical illustrations for textbooks, magazines and advertising. This work has led me to explore techniques for using CT scans to make video 3D reconstructions. Once I became involved in 3D printing, I adapted these techniques to produce 3D models for printing.

How do you promote your work?

Initially, I did very little promotion of my work as I was mostly interested in creating a personal collection of animal skulls printed in stainless steel through Shapeways. I wanted a set of skulls scaled to a uniform size (about 3 inches). Once I had worked out most of the technical (software and modeling) issues, I realized that I had a product with both educational and artistic value. That is when I turned to Kickstarter to promote the work. My first Kickstarter can be seen here. My second Kickstarter here. Both projects feature work printed exclusively at Shapeways. Following the Kickstarter projects, I am trying to sell my work through Shapeways and several other websites.

Who are your favorite designers or artists? Who in the Shapeways community has served as an inspiration to you?

If you weren’t limited by current technologies, what would you want to make using 3D printing?

One frustration I have is the problem of printing organic objects since most natural structures such as skulls have wide variations in their thickness. In addition, skeletons and even skulls consist of multiple separate bones. I would love to see a process in which I could print a skeleton in one color within the surrounding body which would be printed in a perfectly transparent glass-like material. For example, I think people would love to be able to have a print of their “about-to-be-born” baby, and this would be a great model for education.

Thank you so much for a wonderful interview, Scott! Your shop is beyond fascinating and inspiring. We especially love learning about how the Shapeways tools have helped give you the ability to sell more models to everyone and spread the love. Find Scott on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterst. See all the models on his site, or his Shapeways shop. If you’d like to be featured, as always, feel free to email aimee @ shapeways.com!